Mini Movie Reviews: 2009 (Part 1)
Every year I say the same thing: I must try to review more of the movies and books I’ve seen, preferably right after I’ve actually seen them. And for the past two years I’ve ended up with a long list of all the stuff I hadn’t had the time to review. So for the next couple of days I’ll be doing a couple of posts with all the “left overs” I’ve got: short mini reviews about the movies and books I’ve seen/read in 2009.
I’m not even going to try to promise that 2010 will be any different. Instead, I think I’ll make these mini reviews a more regular thing and try to do one once every two months or so. I’ll still be doing reviews for the main movies and books I’ve read, but the smaller stuff (like things I watched on TV a full 2 years after the movie originally came out) will be just done in these mini reviews.
So here’s part 1 of the things I’ve watched in 2009:
Up
I don’t think I can say much about this movie that hasn’t been said yet. It’s a brilliant tale and if you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favour and watch it. It isn’t my personal favourite Pixar movie (that still remains Wall-E), but it’s got some great moments in it and everyone I know who’s seen it loves this movie!
Rachel Getting Married
I saw this movie around Oscar season trying to watch most of the movies that were nominated (in some way or another). This has to be one of most boring movies I saw this year. Yes, Anne Hathaway is good in it, and there’s tons of drama and tension, but really not the type of movie I enjoy watching.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Loved this movie, but I have to admit it has it’s problems. Visually it’s stunning (think the old drawings of Monty Python in CGI), but the plot doesn’t make much sense and I completely lost track of what happened in the last quarter of an hour. I know it could have been so much greater if Heath Ledger was still alive, but as it is, the story kind of falls apart.
FAQ About Time Travel
Brilliant little movie about 3 guys who get stuck in a time loop in a pub. It’s been described as a Shaun of the Dead type movie but about time travel, and it does kind of fit into that description. I had never heard about it before watching it and it pleasantly surprised. Plus it’s one of those movies that does require a 2nd viewing to completely appreciate it.
Law Abiding Citizen
The difficulty with this movie was that you weren’t really sure who you were supposed to be rooting for. Gerard Butler is kind of billed as the main character, but to call him the protagonist… no, not really. After a plea bargain sets one of his family’s killers free, Butler decides to take justice into his own hands. It edges on the border of being a smart, intelligent movie, but in the end fails to deliver.
Madagascar 2: Escape To Africa
Cute, easy sequel to the first animation. Nothing really special, but still an enjoyable movie.
Trick ‘r Treat
I first heard about this movie in 2007, but because of some trouble with the studio it didn’t get released properly until this year. It’s an anthology of 4 Halloween stories, all happening on the same Halloween night. I didn’t like all of the stories, but it works well together. I think my favourite was the one about Anna Paquin, who together with her friends has dressed up as sexy fairy tale princesses to pick up boys.
The Reader
The second Oscar-y movie in this list and one that I hadn’t expected to like. The movie is about Michael Berg, a German lawyer who as a teenager in the late 1950s had an affair with an older woman, Hanna Schmitz, who then disappeared only to resurface years later as one of the defendants in a war crimes trial stemming from her actions as a guard at a Nazi concentration camp in the later years of World War II. Kate Winslet is great as Hanna Schmitz and her Oscar win is completely deserved.
The Oxford Murders
Another movie of which I had seen the trailer ages ago and then just never heard anything about. I loved the movie for its mathematic references and discussions and I really think I should read the book. Better than most movies in this genre without the assumption that the viewer is a complete idiot (which annoys me with a lot of movies).
Stranger Than Fiction
From all the films on this list, Stranger Than Fiction is a typical “me” movie; it’s a bit quirky, bordering the line of comedy and drama with an unusual. Will Ferrell plays Harold Crick, a slightly OCD tax auditor, who one day suddenly hears a voice narrating his life. It’s an unusual movie with that touch of fantasy and whimsicality while still remaining quite serious.
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Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, dear readers!
May you all have a fantastic 2010!
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Your Dog Wants A Collar Air Purifier
By Evan Ackerman
Want to know where the whole dog versus cat thing got started? I’ll tell you: allergies. Dogs are allergic to cats. Think about it, it makes so much sense, especially for us humans who also have cat allergies. Allergies turn you in to a crazy feral beast who sneezes. The solution to this, obviously, is to get your dog a personal ionic air purifier, which will virtually guarantee harmony with all other animal species. But wait, there’s more.
In addition to cleaning the air that your pet breathes in, the purifier will also “instantly neutralize smells,” a feature which I’m sure all dogs will appreciate. And if they’d rather not have one of their senses denozzified, you can pop in preloaded “scent cartridges” which are “available in many different scents to relax, calm, soothe & energize your pets.” Brilliant, brilliant I say.
The mini wearable ionizer air purifier for pets is a fabulous value at only $17.20.
Fish Tank Friday: Spillarium
By Evan Ackerman
Yes, this fishbowl leaks. No, don’t send it back, it’s supposed to do that. There’s a hole in the side that continually spills water into an understandably thirsty fish at the base, where it’s cleaned and recycled back into the bowl. Some kind of filter apparatus keeps the fish from getting out, however much an array of color changing LEDs in the bottom of the bowl may drive them to suicide. I imagine that the water coming out of the bowl probably has a decidedly fishy aroma, but mabe that’s something that you’re looking for, you know, to lend a little bit of oceanic atmosphere to your life.
The Spillarium holds 5 gallons of water, and comes with “artificial fish” and “artificial plants.” And, for some reason, a real net and some real fish food. It’s $130 at Hammacher Schlemmeleakybowl.
[ Spillarium ] VIA [ Coolest Gadgets ]
Liquid Image Announces A Handful Of New POV Cameras For CES
By Andrew Liszewski
In addition to new 135 degree wide angle lens models and a 720P ‘HD’ version of their camera-equipped scuba masks, Liquid Image has also unveiled snow and swim goggle versions of their products just in time for CES 2010. The Summit Series Snow Camera Goggle model 335 has a 5MP still camera that can also capture D1 resolution video (720×480) to its 16MB of built-in flash memory. (Which can mercifully be expanded to 16GB thanks to a microSD/SDHC card slot.) It’s also got oversized glove-friendly mode and shutter buttons on the side of the frame as well as a set of LED lights inside the goggles to indicate when it’s recording. (Available late Summer 2010.)
What’s even more impressive is the company’s new Freestyle Series Swim Camera Goggle model 330. While it’s only got a 1.3MP camera that can also capture VGA resolution videos (640×480) the whole unit is barely larger than a regular pair of swim goggles. And unlike the Snow Camera Goggles, the swim model has a healthy 4GB of built-in memory which is good for about 90 minutes of video, while the rechargeable lithium battery that should last just as long. (Available April 2010.)
[ Liquid Image ]
Kirlian High Voltage Contact Print Photography Device
By Andrew Liszewski
If you’re looking for a new way to justify that $1,000+ DSLR you just bought, and have run out of objects to stick in front of your macro lens, you might want to give Kirlian photography a shot. It uses high voltage applied to everyday objects to create unique exposures of the corona discharge, and thanks to this $295 Kirlian Imaging Device you don’t need a mad scientist-esque laboratory to make them!
Now normally an exposure is created by placing a piece of sheet film on the metal discharge plate, but since you probably bought your DSLR so you wouldn’t have to get film developed anymore, there’s also an optional $129.95 transparent discharge plate that allows you to take photographs using your digital camera. The whole setup looks reasonably safe, though it’s cautioned that you’ll need to deal with a ground wire if you’re photographing inanimate objects, which leads me to wonder what living creatures this could actually be used with.
[ Kirlian High Voltage Imaging Device ] VIA [ Random Good Stuff ]
Intel Litl webbook headed for CES debut
Intel's own Litl webbook will be making a debut at CES 2010 which is happening just next week. First announced in November, the Litl will target those looking for an easy-to-use Internet computer for homes that will merge both the web with high quality viewing similar to that of a TV. Powered by an Intel Atom processor, you can use the Litl as a standard netbook or flip the 12" display and keyboard around on its patented hinge to make it stand upright like an easel. We'll definitely be taking a closer look at the Intel Litl there.
Permalink: Intel Litl webbook headed for CES debut from Ubergizmo | Hot: Blackberry Bold 9700 Review
HTC could unveil new touchscreen tablet
Whispers abound that HTC will be releasing a new touchscreen tablet device this coming CES, where it is tipped to run off a Qualcomm processor with the Android operating system keeping everything else going nice and smooth. Apart from that, there is the possibility of a multi-touch display as well as new software from Adobe to be unveiled simultaneously as well. Do you think HTC will beat Apple to the punch, or will theirs be a gimped attempt from the beginning?
Permalink: HTC could unveil new touchscreen tablet from Ubergizmo | Hot: Blackberry Bold 9700 Review
Palm Pre 3 could hit CES 2010
Another rumor concerning Palm, with their Palm Pre 3 is tipped to be unveiled at CES next week. While Palm has already sent out their press invites for a conference on January 7, 2010, there were little or no details concerning what the conference will touch on, but most folks would most probably root for the Palm Pre 3. Just in case you were wondering what the Pre 2 is, it is most probably the Palm Pixi, so it makes sense that the next Pre which rolls out would be categorized as the Pre 3.
Permalink: Palm Pre 3 could hit CES 2010 from Ubergizmo | Hot: Blackberry Bold 9700 Review
Visentin LED Light Shower
Would you want to be bathing in a LED light shower in the future? The idea from Visentin is a luxury shower head that bathes you in a rainbow of therapeutic colored LED lights such as orange, renewing white, relaxing blue, healing pink or refreshing green, each with its own therapeutic qualities, turning your shower into some sort of a home spa. It certainly looks futuristic, and who knows, maybe we’ll all be using this sometime in the future, right?
Permalink: Visentin LED Light Shower from Ubergizmo | Hot: Blackberry Bold 9700 Review
